Will of a Single Man
by Coyote2486
Summary: What happens when all you thought was gone wasn't? Then, what happens when it becomes the very thing you vow to destroy? Saber to Coyote, Krystal to Kursed to Krystal, mistakes that will never be forgiven. Two races collide. People must now choose a side. Judgment is coming... (Over 700 Views! Thank You all!)
1. Deception

**Prologue**

_My planet, gone. My people, scattered. My wife, dead._

_ My son, misguided. My daughter, holds faith. _

_ My son endangers this, he must be eliminated. Even if I must kill everyone to do it. _

_ His name, Saber, he has abandoned. That was the name of a warrior. _

_ My son has taken the name of "Coyote". A pitiful name._

_ My daughter, Krystal, must be saved from his clutches, but she has failed me as well._

_ "Kursed" was her name. She must pay for her actions._

_ My name is Randorn, and judgement is coming._

(Welcome to The Will of a Single Man, my first long-term project. I am leaving this up for suggestions to where this story should go because I am yet to find out how this story will go. This little bit sets the stage for the story. Please PM or review!)


	2. A Past, A Present, and Uncertain Future

_**All warfare is based on deception. The bigger the lie, the more likely people will believe it. Our enemies believe that they alone dictate the course of history. And all it takes is the will of a single man…**_

**Chapter 1**

Waking up. It was the thing Coyote hated the most. The feeling of nothing has always bugged him. He needed a sense of urgency, a feeling of need. The destruction of his planet had made him this way. This then reminded him of his father. He hated his father. His father had always left him in the shadows. He believed all Cerinians without telepathy were a "lesser" being, even though it was almost the opposite. Coyote enjoyed his skill and intellect. The only problem was that he was never able to communicate with his sister at his will. She could talk to him via telepathy, which made him feel a little bit better about the situation. But still, it made him feel powerless in some cases. He always felt…..alone, without anyone to be there.

He arose from his bed and suited up. Ever since the 2nd Lylat War, his life has changed. He has fallen in love with Ashley, but their relationship has made a wide turn. His actions during the war were dangerous and she couldn't take it. She couldn't bear to see him die. So she made the hardest decision of her life: she left the team. Coyote was heartbroken and lost, the same feeling he had felt when Steven, Rick, and Mark died. He was on the verge of insanity with no one to help him. This time he had truly lost everything. He still had his team and his sister, but it didn't help. Then, one day, he decided it was time to end it all. He grabbed his blaster and went to the bridge of the ship. He stood at the front and looked out into the empty space. Without hesitation, he brought it to his head.

_I am sorry, mother. I have failed you._

Krystal had sensed his mad ideas and had chased after him. Before he pulled the trigger, she smacked the gun from his hand. He flung around, fist clenched, until he saw her. He stopped dead, frozen in his tracks. His eyes were wide with grief, pain, and sadness. She just looked at him and yelled:

"Are you insane?! Do you know what your death would do to me?" She asked him, crying. He looked at her, confused and scared for his wellbeing and cried as well. Something he had not done in so long. She hugged him. For the first time since he rescued her on Kew, they hugged. When they released each other, Coyote stomped off back to his room.

Ever since this happened, he has always felt that need for his existence. His life did have meaning. He was meant to be around. And for what was about to happen, they needed him more than ever.

The only drawback was that Coyote had completely changed. He has gone from friendly and laid back to cold and ruthless. His one idea: get the job done, no matter the cost. A Cerinian with this attitude is something to be feared by all, especially someone like Coyote. He now sees everyone, except Krystal, is expendable. It is insane what a broken heart can do to a man.

He suited up and headed out of his room. The bridge was his destination. He looked down the long white hall of unfilled rooms and walked down. At the end, he pulled out a card key and slipped it into the module. It granted his access. He walked in and sat in one of the control chairs and did what he always did in the morning: look for help. He was cold but not that cold. After about 15 minutes of looking through the system, the door behind him slid open. He acted like he never noticed.

"Coyote…." He heard. It was Krystal. He could tell she was shaken up. He felt a bit annoyed; she had talked to him for the last 5 days at the same time.

"What is it _this _time?" Coyote asked, irritated. Krystal was used to his cold attitude by now. But, it still hurt her inside to see her brother always in pain. He was her last link to her home.

"Well, this last night has been strange," Krystal spoke up. "I have been getting messages in my head that say: _Come home, it's time. The time has come._"

Coyote sighed and turned around in his chair.

"We should head back to Cerinia's old location; see if anything's changed," Coyote recommended. Krystal looked skeptical, but she nodded. Coyote then turned in his chair, and punched in a bunch of coordinates into the panel. Then, a lever popped out of the panel. Coyote pushed it forward and the _Great Fox III_ shot off into space.

When they stopped, the popped out into space expecting to see nothing, but they were wrong. They saw Cerinia, the planet they thought had been destroyed, was there. It was a blue and green planet like Corneria, but had more snowy mountains than them. Krystal was in shock; her planet wasn't gone, it never was. But, if it didn't explode, then what did happen? She turned to see Coyote not happy, but in extreme and utter rage.

"It…was…HIM!" Coyote yelled, slamming his fists into the control panel like a madman. It hurt, but he didn't care. He knew exactly who tricked them, his father. Krystal ran to him and yelled at him to stop. Coyote listened and brought his rage to a halt, his hands were bleeding from the slamming.

"What? What is wrong with you?" Krystal asked him. Coyote looked to her.

"It was our father! He used his telepathy to make us believe that it was gone! That bastard!" Coyote yelled. Krystal looked at him confused.

"Our father would _never _do that! He was a good person!" Coyote turned and looked at her with rage burning in his eyes.

"Don't give me _that _BULLS**T! Didn't you see how he treated me? Like trash! Like some orphan he picked off the street! He hated me, just because I was different from everyone else. Called me worthless, pathetic, and a waste of time. My whole scene when I thought the planet was being destroyed was a complete act. I was happy to see that bastard die. But, now he isn't and mother is." Coyote fell back into his chair and nearly cried, but he held back tears with minimal effort. He wanted to kill his father with his bare hands, much to his sister's dismay. He remembered his father treating her like royalty. Coyote was ready to fight his father, and he didn't care who he had to kill to do it.

(And the story begins. I am extremely excited to see where this story will go. I hope you enjoyed this part! PM or review please!)

P.S. The quote in the beginning is based off of the beginning cut scene of MW3, just to point that out. Also this story is kind of based off of that quote; that one man can change all of history forever.


	3. Violence and Resolve

_**Good and evil, two sides of a battle. But who is good? Who is evil? It all depends on what you think. You consider the options and choose a side… **_

**Chapter 2 **

A blue vulpine looked over his great city. He was tall, but in his late forties. He wore a black robe with a hood. He held a long, blue and yellow staff that had crystals on the top of it. It was the staff of his people, the Cerinian race. He was the last word when it came to, well, everything. He controlled the entire planet. His tower was the tallest in the city. It had an amazing view of the mountain range in front of them. Then, the door to his office slid open. He didn't have to look back to know who it was. He was gifted with one of the most powerful telepathic abilities. It was his second in command, Gandalfr.

"Grandmaster Randorn, we have detected a massive ship in our airspace, how do we proceed?" Gandalfr asked his leader. Randorn turned to look at him.

"Show me the ship," Randorn ordered. Gandalfr reached into his pocket and pulled a hologram generator. He pressed a button on its side and an image of an _Arwing III _popped up. Randorn looked at it for a long time until finally saying:

"Allow it to dock, and bring the pilot to me," Randorn ordered. Gandalfr nodded and headed out of his room. The door slid shut. Randorn then walked back to his desk and sat in his chair. He then pulled up an image of the docking bay to see the ship land. He then saw the pilot get out. His senses then shot off and overwhelmed him. He knew exactly who it was.

"And so you come at last," Randorn told himself.

After about 15 minutes, the pilot finally arrived to his room. He was escorted by 4 Cerinian guards. The pilot was wearing a black robe and a hood. His face was covered by a cloth as well. He looked around. The door to the room closed behind them. Suddenly the pilot whipped out two blasters and shot two of the guards. The other two attempted to retaliate, but they were dropped as well. Randorn rose from his chair. The pilot then revealed his arm and sent an EMP blast through the door, forcing it shut. He then threw off his cloak. It was none other than Coyote.

"Finally, after all the terrible things you said to me while I was a child, I get to teach _you_!" Coyote yelled as he ignited his blue sword. His father laughed at him.

"You are just as pathetic as you always were! You and your mutant excuses for the Cerinian race!" Randorn yelled to him. This was enough to send Coyote off the edge. He leapt towards his father. Randorn met his sword with his staff. Coyote landed across from him. They clashed sword to staff. Coyote threw blow after blow of brute force and hatred at his father. His father met each blow with his staff, but he was slowly losing. Eventually, Coyote batted his staff from his hand. Coyote then kicked his body to the ground. Randorn was expecting a death blow but he got none. His son's power was incredible. Unlike any he had seen in his life. Coyote deactivated his sword.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL?!" Coyote screamed at him. Coyote was about to yell more, but the door finally exploded and a squad of Cerinians emerged. Coyote knew he was outgunned. He turned and jumped out the window, calling his ship. He fell into his ship and flew off to space.

The guards helped Randorn up and onto his feet.

"Are you hurt?" one of the guards asked.

"No, I'm fine," Randorn replied. Randorn rose to his feet. He walked to his staff and picked it up.

"What do we do now?" the guard asked. Randorn turned to his fellow Cerinians. He always knew what he was going to do. He always wanted to take over the war stricken Lylat System. That was his goal. He assumed that now was the time.

"Mobilize the fleets, we strike Sauria tomorrow," Randorn ordered. The guards all nodded to spread the news. Randorn sat back into his chair. Sauria would serve as a base to build his fleet and assault the Lylat System. Cerinia was too far from Lylat to win a war from there. He then turned to see all of his frigates rising into the sky. They were massive, and he had a lot of them. They flew off to space to prepare for the assault tomorrow. He smiled and thought to himself: _Songs will be sung this day. _

Coyote docked his ship into the _Great Fox III_. He had gone alone, fearing Krystal would attempt to stop him. The rest of the team had no idea about Cerinia still being around, and he ordered Krystal to keep it a secret. He then typed into his wrist the order for the _Great Fox III _to hyperjump to Lylat. He then headed back to his room. He was angry, but satisfied. He had finally given his father a dose of his own medicine. Finally, he felt relief and like he could finally resolve his problems. On the way back, he was at the long hall of rooms. He turned the corner to see, straight in front of him, Fox and Krystal making out. This made a feeling run through his body that he hadn't felt since Ashley left the team. His cold attitude, gone. His ruthless feelings, gone. He decided to just stand and watch until they finally noticed, to be funny. Krystal suddenly sensed him and turned her head to see him standing there. Fox looked confused to why she stopped so suddenly. He then turned to where she was staring, and sure enough, he saw Coyote standing there.

"You know, I knew I would catch you two eventually," Coyote said to them. The two sprang apart and looked at him. Coyote smiled and walked between them and smacked Fox in the chest. Fox gasped and looked back at him.

"Good job," Coyote told him.


	4. A Silent Attack

_**To be, or not to be, that is the question. You live life, or you don't. It's all about what you think of yourself as a person. Friends or Family? What would you choose…**_

**Chapter 3**

Fox McCloud, hero of Lylat, stood with his teammates at the bridge. With no orders for now, it was time to contact General Pepper. Peppy had left to join the Cornerian Army, where he was a Colonel at the moment. Everyone stood, anxious to get going on their next mission. It had been a while since they last had a mission, for good purpose, of course. Fox looked to his teammates. Coyote looked a lot less tense than usual. He seemed to look better than he usually did. Fox then looked to Justin. He never really understood his motives or purpose. He always saw him as just another teammate. Falco and Slippy looked the same as usual. Falco had his arms crossed, looking around like he didn't care about anything. Slippy looked like he was deep in thought. He then looked to his left, where he saw Krystal. He then quickly looked back, hoping she wouldn't notice. He was still not completely confident with their relationship, even though they made out last night. It wasn't really his choice. He was really forced into it. She was moving too fast for him to stop her. Besides, he enjoyed it, kind of. He then started to realize that she was reading his thoughts.

"You enjoyed it? How sweet…." She told him. He shook his head and looked to her. He kind of chuckled nervously, not knowing what to say. She laughed back to him.

"Are you two love birds done?" Falco demanded. "When are you going to call Pepper?"

Fox looked to his right to see everyone except for Coyote staring at him. Coyote was laughing quietly. Fox shook his head and ordered the comm. to call Pepper. The screen in front of them flashed to show…Peppy.

"Hello team." Peppy said. "I see we are all here, so let's get started."

"Wait, _you're _the general?" Fox asked.

"Why yes, in a way. I am actually one of three generals: Me, General Hamner, and General Lee. The military hierarchy has changed. There are now three generals and one Field Marshall, who has complete control over the Cornerian Army. His name is Field Marshall Thompson. He is a hawk with a ton of military background. He was second to General Pepper, who had retired. He now has complete control over the entire army. But, I have been cleared to give your team orders." Peppy finished. Fox and his team didn't look too shocked by the change.

"Well, what are our orders?" Falco asked. Peppy adjusted his glasses and began to speak.

"Unfortunately…"

At that moment, the Cerinian Fleet had reached Sauria. On the biggest ship, one of the two generals stood and looked out at the planet. She was tall, had orange fur and wore a full, battle-ready combat suit. It was a dark blue, and it covered her whole body except for her head. On the bridge with her was a whole squad of engineers and the ship's pilots. They were all monitoring the ship and the space around them. Then, the one sitting nearest to her spoke.

"General Hooke, we have reached Sauria," he told her. Her real name was Reina Hooke. She was in fact Cerinian, like everyone else.

"Good, order the frigates to prepare the assault," Reina ordered. The engineer nodded and pressed a bunch of buttons to give the frigates the yellow light for the assault. She then looked back at the planet. It was beautiful, like Cerinia. It was smaller, but looked nearly the same. She was not fazed however. She had orders from the Grandmaster, and she wasn't about to disobey them. All of the frigates turned into position to attack.

"Alright, attack!" she commanded. All of the frigates suddenly accelerated to the planet. It was in fact under Cornerian control; it had been since the Aparoid invasion crippled the planet. The troops were sent there to maintain the peaceful environment. The first defense was the main outpost in the outskirts of the biggest city, New Vencia. That was their target. The forces wouldn't even expect it. When her ship passed the cloud barrier, all of the troops parachuted down to the outpost. They were in suits similar to General Hooke's, but less complicated and were in a bright blue instead. The troops were followed by starfighters. The battle for Sauria had begun, and the Cerinians had the upper hand.

"…oh! It looks like we have been attacked on Sauria! But, it says here that the battle has already been lost?" Peppy saw on his screen after he was going to tell him he had nothing for them. Fox and Krystal gasped. Ever since Fox rescued her, they have been attached to that planet. And now it was lost, before they could even fight back.

Suddenly, a message popped up on Peppy's screen.

"A message from Thompson. Hmmm…..I see. It says here to avoid Sauria at all costs. It has been occupied by an unknown force with immense power," Peppy told them. The team felt sympathetic, but also disappointed because they couldn't fight back. It was just gone.

"I'll keep you posted…Peppy out," Peppy finished. Fox looked to his team. He didn't know what to tell them or what to do.

"Well team, I guess that's a wrap," Fox sighed. "You guys are free for the day unless we get anything else. His team nodded and headed down the pathway to wherever it would take them. Fox followed close behind. When he reached his quarters, he opened up the computer module and looked up reports on the Saurian attack. There were many things on it. He tapped on the latest news story:

_INVASION: The planet known as Sauria has been invaded by an unknown force that took every force by surprise. No one saw it coming. No reports on the assailant have been received. There have been 30 troops confirmed dead, 100 injured, and 10 missing. Tune in to stay updated._

Behind him, his door blinked signaling that someone was at the door.

"Come in," Fox said. The door slid open and Krystal walked in. She walked over to his bed and sat down on it across from him.

"Anything?" she asked him.

"Nothing, they know nothing about the invasion," Fox replied.

"No, I didn't mean that. I mean have you changed your mind about us being together?" Krystal asked him. Fox's ears pointed straight up. He never said that, but then he remembered that she read his mind on the bridge earlier.

"I can't start that now, it's too quick." Fox said even though he was lying. He loved her deeply, and he would love to be with her. But, he was still too bashful to admit it. Again, he forgot that she could read his mind.

"Are you kidding? Coyote and Ashley started 2 weeks after they met! I have known you for 4 _years _now!" Krystal pleaded. "And don't try lying to a telepath."

Fox was shocked to see her frustration. She was right as well; they had known each other for 4 years. Then, Fox had had enough, the time had come.

"Alright, I'll admit it….I….love you," Fox let out finally. He was ready for Krystal to be shocked because Fox went straight to "love" instead of "like". Fox was breathing heavily, and he was tense. Krystal just laughed.

"I know Fox and I do too," Krystal told him.


	5. Well Deserved R&R

_**(I think I'm done putting quotes up here. I can't think of any more good ones.)**_

**Chapter 4**

Coyote sat in his room, more bored than he had ever been in his life. The only thing he had to do was think, build something, or look at updates on the Saurian occupation. He decided that he needed to hone his skills when it came to long-distance sniping. He has been a little rusty; besides, he always liked to get up close and personal with the enemy. Sniping wasn't always his thing, even though he was pretty good at it. He got up and left his room. He walked down the long hall of unoccupied rooms to the main elevator. The ship was built to hold far more than it needed, but for a good cause. He pressed the down button on the elevator and it came up to him. He stepped into the cab and pressed the "firing range" button. The elevator took no time at all to get there. He stepped out when the doors opened and looked around at it. It was very long, filled with little flaps that come out for you to shoot at. The length was for sniping. There were many "stalls" to shoot from. Coyote walked over to the arsenal and grabbed the biggest rifle he could find. He walked to the middle stall and mounted it on the convenient table in front of him. He set it to have targets come up in the back of the range, for sniping. It counted down from 10 and Coyote set himself up to take the first shot. He breathed heavily, which was not good for this kind of range. When the first target popped up to his left, he sharply angled the rifle and fired at the target. The rifle recoiled sharply and made an extremely loud futuristic noise. A red beam came out of the barrel faster than the eye could see and rocketed towards the target. It sailed just shy of hitting the target. He cursed under his breath from the miss. He pulled back the bolt and let the white hot cartridge fall to the floor before pushing it back. He waited for the next one to come. It suddenly appeared to his right and he waited this time. He angled his rifle and held his breath. He pulled the trigger and the rifle recoiled sharply again. This time, he hit it directly in the middle. He smiled as he pulled the bolt back again. He repeated this process until he ran out of ammo.

Satisfied with his performance, he put the rifle back where he found it and walked out to the elevator. While he waited for the cab to return, he got a call on his wristpad. He answered.

"Coyote here," he said into the mic.

"Meet on the bridge, we have our next orders," Fox told him through the comm. device. Coyote shut down the call and walked into the elevator.

When he got to the bridge, he realized that he was last. He quietly moved to the spot closest to him. He then looked up to see Peppy already on-screen.

"Well, Starfox, your orders are to return here for a break, you earned it," Peppy told him. Everyone looked a bit relieved to be heading back home. It had been a few months since they had actually took some time off.

"Alright, I guess we'll see you there," Fox told him.

"Good, I'll see you when you dock."

* * *

It had been only a half hour since the _Great Fox III _had left for Corneria when they had entered the planet. Due to the ship's massive size, they would have to dock in space and take a shuttle down to the planet's surface. They approached the biggest space station: dubbed _Byzantium_ (I'm a history nut) for its massive size. They moved to the left side of the station and attached the ship to a walkway for them to get out and for the ship to be inspected and refueled. The six teammates rushed off the ship onto _Byzantium _to get to their shuttle.

"Well, here we are, home," Fox said.

"Not yet, we're still in space, genius," Falco remarked. Fox shook his head.

"Yeah, whatever, same thing," Fox retorted. Falco just laughed. The six then walked over to the shuttle's terminal and boarded, except for Justin.

"I'm going to stay back," Justin said. "I don't feel comfortable going down there."

"Why not?" Coyote asked him. Justin just looked at him and shook his head signaling that he didn't want to talk about it.

"This place is huge! I find something to do," Justin said. Everyone just nodded and bid him farewell for now as they entered their shuttle. They took their seats. Fox, Krystal and Coyote sat in front of Falco and Slippy. The rows were three seats next to three seats. Luckily for Slippy and Falco, no one occupied the third seat. Coyote reluctantly sat down next to Krystal. He was certain the two love birds were going to do something while they sat together. Sure enough, halfway to the planet, when he dozed off, they started getting all lovey next to him. They started touching each other and saying things. When Coyote was suddenly shocked awake by the racket they were making. He had had it.

"WILL YOU TWO CHILDREN KNOCK IT OFF?" Coyote yelled. The two suddenly looked at him like he was crazy.

"I'm trying to get some rest here! Could you at least be still for another five minutes?" Coyote half pleaded half demanded. They just nodded and looked straight in their chairs. Falco and Slippy laughed. Falco leaned up to Coyote and whispered:

"Good going,"

Coyote just shook his head in annoyance and groaned. When he attempted to doze off again, the shuttle had landed. The five rose up from their seats and exited the shuttle to the ground. They exited the terminal and port and into the city. It was as big as they had remembered. They skyscrapers loomed over them. They were met by Peppy, who had a large, floating van ready for them. Fox walked up and shook hands with him.

"Good to see you again," Fox told him. Peppy nodded and shook hands with everyone else.

"Well, why don't we get in, I'm driving you to your hotel, totally paid for. Field Marshall Thompson sends his regards. And by the way Coyote, he wishes to see you when you get the chance," Peppy told them. Coyote looked a bit excited. He had never met the Field Marshall, and he was eager to. He was the General of the entire army; he had the last say for everything.

Everyone hopped into the vehicle. Peppy put his foot on the accelerator and they were off. When they reached it, they stepped out. It was a very fancy hotel, and seemed expensive. The building was tall, and had four towers which were connected by pathways that got to each tower. They all walked into the main lobby. It was huge, having a large, open space with many elevators that led to each room. Peppy led them over to the main desk where he signed them into their rooms. The receptionist handed them four keys to their rooms. Peppy turned and distributed them to each other. Fox and Krystal shared a room, of course. All the rest received their own key.

"Well, your rooms are on the keys. I've got some business to attend to," Peppy told them. He bid them farewell before heading off to his vehicle. They all walked to the north tower elevator. On the way there, a group of 18-19 year old dogs walked by and stopped.

"Wait, are you…! It is you!" one of the boys said, pointing at Coyote. He rushed over to him and shook his hand franticly.

"My name's Thomas! I'm a huge fan of yours!" he exclaimed. Coyote kind of looked at him and said:

"Really? That's cool!" he said. Coyote wasn't used to being famous or well-known. The dog looked behind him and let go of his hand.

"Woah! That's so cool!" Thomas gasped. "You're all here? Aren't you out blasting apes?"

"Yeah, but we have no orders right now, so we just came back ho….I mean, to Corneria," Coyote said. Thomas just nodded.

"Alright, well hopefully I'll see you around!" Thomas said before he went back to his friends and they headed out the door.

"Well, look at you, you have fans," Falco said mockingly.

"Heh…it's a good feeling," Coyote told him.


	6. EXTRA: All army ranks in the story

(I am putting this extra in because the ranks will start to get insane. This will help tell you how each one ranks on the scale.)

**Cornerian Army Ranks**

Private: 1

Warrant Officer: 2

Chief Warrant Officer: 3

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Star: 4

Second Lieutenant: 5

First Lieutenant: 6

Captain: 7

Lieutenant Colonel: 8

Lieutenant General: 9

Colonel: 10

General: 11

Grand General: 12

Field Marshall: 13

Supreme Marshall: 14 (Only in System Threat Wars)

* * *

**Cerinian Army Ranks**

Basic: 1

Basic First Class: 2

Protector: 3

Chief Protector: 4

Master Protector: 5

First Protector: 6

Commander: 7

Minor: 8

Major: 9

Protector General: 10

General: 11

Planetary General: 12

Grandmaster: 13 (King)

Supreme Protector: 14 (Only if Planetary Threat)

* * *

**Venomian Army Ranks**

Private: 1

Corporal: 2

Private First Class: 3

Sergeant: 4

Staff Sergeant: 5

Sergeant Commander: 6

Commander: 7

Captain: 8

Major: 9

Colonel: 10

General: 11

Grand General: 12

Marshall: 13

Grand Marshall: 14

Supreme Commander: 15 (Only in System Threat Wars)


	7. A New Title

**Chapter 5 **

The Cornerian Military HQ: the tallest building in the city. It towered above everything, towers, people and pretty much everything on the planet. Coyote looked at it from below. He was there to meet the Field Marshall for the first time. He looked forward and headed in. The first room was full of security. There were scanners, metal detectors, and computers all over. He walked up to the first checkpoint. The guard asked him to walk through the massive scanner that scanned his whole body. He watched as a transparent blue field went through his body. After it went through him, he was cleared. He walked to the elevator in front of him and met the man standing in front. He held a touchpad and a pen-sort of thing.

"Name please," he asked.

"Coyote," he replied. The guard typed in something with his pen and something came up.

"Ahh…First Lieutenant Coyote, you are here to see Field Marshall Thompson," he said. Coyote's ears shot up straight in surprise. He had a rank? He was a mercenary!

"Wait. I'm ranked?" Coyote asked.

"Yeah, well sort of. All of the Starfox team members are considered First Lieutenants, but you can't rank up unless you are a part of the army," the guard replied. Coyote nodded and the guard pointed him towards the elevator. Coyote stepped in and the doors shut. The pod instantly shot up extremely fast to reach the top floor, where the Field Marshall was located. This almost threw him off balance, but he regained his composure quickly. His ears plugged up from the air pressure of being high up. He shook his head in annoyance. Before he knew it, he was there. The door opened to show Thompson. He was built, his muscle clearly showed. The hawk turned from where he was standing. Coyote stepped out and saluted the Field Marshall.

"Sir…I guess?" Coyote said, not sure if he should or not. He wasn't officially a part of the army, so he really didn't need to.

"Sit down please," Thompson ordered. Coyote quickly sat down in one of the chairs in front of the officer's desk. The hawk sat down in front of him. He stared at him with his intimidating, yellow, predatory eyes. Coyote didn't flinch, he was not easily intimidated.

"Well, let's get started. I'm sure that you're aware of the Saurian occupation. Well, our spies are telling us that the enemy is simply too powerful for us to just take on. They have an armada, and I mean an _armada_, surrounding the planet, an excess of 270 frigates," Thompson explained.

_Whoever is doing this means business. _Coyote thought. (Note: Coyote has NO IDEA that the enemy is the Cerinians. No one does.)

"I have looked up how you and your former team had suits that made you practically invincible. Well, I got news for you; you're not the only one. Our scientists have recreated it, with a little Cornerian touch of course," Thompson had just rocked Coyote's world. _No one_ would ever be able to copy his ideas, until now. Thompson brought up a hologram of the suit. It was extremely similar, but it was much thinner that Coyote's. Coyote's was built for durability and ability to take hits like nothing. This suit was built for speed, and sneaking around. The mask was again, similar, but much skinnier. Last of all, it had blue lights running down the suit.

"We call it: Project Retaliation," Thompson continued. "Or IAD Troopers, Intercept and Destroy," Thompson finally finished. Coyote was still confused.

"Where do _I _come in?" he asked.

"I was just about to get to you. I want you to lead the army we're creating," This blew Coyote's mind. He knew exactly what this meant. He would have to leave the team to join the army. He didn't want to leave his team. He had literally _just _formed it. He couldn't leave it. It just wasn't an option.

"Sir, I'm going to have…." Coyote tried to speak but he was cut off.

"I know what you're thinking. You won't have to leave your team! You will only stay in control until the threat is eliminated. But, if you take this, you will be part of the army and required to follow orders. But don't worry, you will only have to from me," Thompson said to him. This changed Coyote's mind. He would much rather lead an army than be a part of a team. He would only need to lead until the "war" was over. What could go wrong?

"Alright I'll take it. But only until the threat is over!" Coyote said. Thompson looked excited and stood up with Coyote. He saluted to Coyote, while he did the same.

"Henceforth, I now declare you Grand General Coyote of the IAD Army!"

* * *

Justin didn't stay on _Byzantium _that day; he instead manned his ship and headed for Sauria. His _Arwing III_ erupted from a hyperjump and he was there. He activated his self-added cloaking device on his ship to stay out of sight. He saw it; the massive armada blockaded the planet. 270 frigates stood between him and the planet. He was astonished by the sheer size of the armada. Then, he spotted a sphere-shaped moon, but it was no moon, it was some kind of station. He immediately blasted for it. He got in range and entered a hole in the construction. He wasn't seen. Then, inside he saw something. Something _huge_.

"Holy sh…"

* * *

"YOU DID WHAT?" Fox yelled at Coyote. Coyote had just told him about his new "job". "You left the team for the army?"

"No! I'm the Grand General until the threat is taken care of!" Coyote pleaded. Fox's anger let up a bit but it still showed. Coyote knew that this was going to be a tough time until the war is over, but he would push through it. He has done it many times before already.

"I can still work with you guys, but if I'm called I have to show up. Besides, I can get you all better ships for completely free! It turns out the _Arwing IV _has been developed already, so the _Arwing III _is outdated. The best part is, we don't need to get the _Arwing IV _if we want to, and they have plenty more types of ships. I'm receiving a new one anyway because I am leading this new army," Coyote finished. Fox looked a bit happier, but he was confused. The _Arwing III _was still a new type. They must have done it fast for wartime reasons.

"Alright it'll work," Fox agreed.


	8. New Ships and a New Competition

**Chapter 6 **

"Welcome to the BIGGEST supply of starfighters on the PLANET!" Coyote yelled. His voice echoed throughout the entire hangar. It was massive, at least 200 feet tall and 300 yards long. Fox, Krystal, Slippy, and Falco looked wide-eyed at the place. Falco immediately ran to see the many types of ships the place had.

"We can choose anything, and it's ours?" Slippy asked.

"Yep! Go have fun," Coyote told him. Slippy followed Falco down the long hall of ships after hearing just that.

Falco kept going until one caught his eye. The ship stuck out like an Arwing, but it was much thinner. The wings were straight instead of the normal curved wings. It was perfect. It looked fast and extremely maneuverable. With joy, he hopped up to the wing and pulled himself up. He popped open the canopy and hopped in. Due to the skinny hull, there wasn't much space in the cockpit. No matter, he lowered the canopy and got a good feel for the ship. He looked down to the radar screen and saw the label: _FA26 Breaker_. Falco smiled at the name. FA26's were the easiest ships to handle.

Slippy had caught one too. The ship stuck out much less than an Arwing, but it was built with solid plasma, the strongest solid in the universe. He would be near invincible in the field. His wings were also shorter to compensate for the ship's weight. The back engines were large for a starfighter as well. Slippy looked at the hull and it said: _FA25 Juggernaut_. It was perfect.

Fox and Krystal had come across a ship that Fox had wanted: the _Arwing IV_. It looked similar to the _Arwing III_, but it was longer. The flaps in the back crossed to form a cross section instead of them being parallel to each other. The wings were straight like the _Breaker_.

"It's beautiful, I'll take it," Fox said to Krystal. Krystal smiled to him and nodded.

"I've heard the prototypes are at the end. I'm going down there," Krystal told him. Still holding hands, the trekked to the end of the hangar. Sure enough, they were, and Coyote was there. He had been designing ships on his spare time and sending them to the Cornerian Army. It turns out that some were actually there. Coyote turned to see them.

"Hey. What brings you two here?" he asked.

"I have come to see the prototypes. They're operational right?" Krystal replied.

"Yeah, everything here is. If you're looking for something, I'd have to recommend this one," Coyote said pointing to the ship he was looking at. The ship was strange, almost surreal. Its wings were bent backwards to a degree that hasn't been seen. It looked fast, extremely fast. Its cannons were fatter than usual.

"The _FA30_ is a new type of ship. Unlike most ships, it is built for recon _and _combat. It is quiet, and extremely fast. It has been tested to reach excess of 3,500 miles per hour. It is called the _FA30 Exterminator_," Coyote explained. "The best part is: I designed it."

Krystal looked flabbergasted. The fact that she could be the best ship around made her smile inside. But she knew that Coyote would have received a ship that was equal or better than this one, but she could care less.

"Recon and Combat? I'll take it any day!" Krystal announced. Coyote nodded. Then he gestured for them to follow him. They came up behind him. He led them to the outside of the hangar, where they saw Coyote's ship. It was almost an exact replica of the _Arwing IV_ but it instead was longer and the guns looked much larger.

"The _FA30 Commander _is the best ship to date. It can go an excess of 3,200 miles per hour, slower than Krystal's, but it is much more maneuverable than the _Exterminator_. The best part is that for the first time ever, there are modes to fly in. Recon, Combat, and Speed," Coyote finished gloating. Fox and Krystal just nodded and walked back to their ships to take off to the city. Coyote just shook his head and hopped into his ship. Then, it hit him. They should race them. There was an ocean nearby where they could figure out a course. He called them via comm.

"Hey, we should race these things at the ocean! It would be fun!" Coyote suggested. Everyone seemed to like the idea. Besides, what's wrong with some friendly competition?

* * *

Like they arranged, they met and the beach. The race would go like this: They would blast down to an island in the distance, then turn back to make it to the beach; first one back was the winner. This race was based mostly on speed, but, you needed to have a ship with undeniable handling to make that turn back. Without hesitation, they lined up their ships. Slippy unfortunately had no chance in this race with his slow ship.

"Alright…3…2…1…GO!" Coyote yelled. Everyone punched their thrusters to the max. Falco's ship took an early lead because of his quick acceleration, but this quickly went behind him. Krystal's ridiculously fast ship had zipped past him already. Fox had still been unable to clear Falco's ship, they were neck and neck. Krystal had taken a commanding lead, and no one was close, yet. Coyote switched his mode to "Speed". His ship's wings folded back to make his ship extremely aerodynamic. His speedometer had reached 3,800 miles per hour, a speed unrecorded. He slowly gained on Krystal's ship. Before they knew it, Krystal had reached the island. Unfortunately, she had to slow down considerably to execute a u turn. This was Coyote's chance. He reached the island and forced his ship to point vertically. He dumped all of his speed in a matter of seconds. Coyote's G gauge reached 15G's which could easily cause him to faint, but thanks to the upgraded G-diffusers, he didn't feel anything. He executed and expert 180 degree rotation of his ship to get it pointing in the right direction. By this time, Krystal was almost done with her loop, but Coyote pushed his ship to the max. He blasted across the water, spewing mist everywhere. Taking a massive lead, he quickly realized that his wings folding back had caused him to slowly drop altitude. He quickly switched back to normal and his wings folded back. At this point, Krystal had finished her loop and she blasted for him. She knew that she could beat him speed wise. Coyote knew this as well, and he worried. He looked behind to see her impossibly fast ship reaching him. Falco had stolen Coyote's idea and dumped his speed to make the loop quicker. Falco was now in this race as he could reach Coyote if he really pushed his ship. Fox was forced to do exactly what Krystal had to do. Slippy was just enjoying his flight, way behind everyone.

Krystal's ship slowly blew past Coyote's, taking the lead. Coyote attempted to switch back to speed mode, but the ship had used up too much thrust getting to that impossible speed. He realized that he wouldn't win this race, but he could _still _beat Falco. He looked behind, and sure enough, Falco had caught him, but the finish was near. Krystal sailed through and landed her ship. Coyote was not about to take third, so he punched it as far as he could. Falco came up beside him. It was too close; they both passed the coast at the same time.

When the race was completed, they all landed. Krystal was waiting for them, leaning on her ship.

"What took you guys so long?" she taunted. Coyote hopped out of his ship. He simply crossed his arms and looked down, with a surprised smile on his face.

_I can't believe I lost to _her_! Of all people! I lost to her!_

"Oh, come on! I'm better than you think! You have to lose at something eventually!" Krystal yelled to him reading his mind. "Or are you sexist?"

Coyote quickly went from his bummed stance to a nervous stance. Fox and Slippy landed and joined in on the conversation.

"N…n….no! Of course n-not! W-why would I-I be like that?" Coyote attempted to plead his innocence. Coyote however was moderately sexist, but not completely. Krystal just laughed at him. Coyote looked down and put his hands in his face. Everyone laughed along. Using this as a distraction, Fox got a good look at Krystal's provocative stance. She was leaning on her ship still. He loved it; he thought she looked beautiful like that. The fact that she won made it even better. She proved herself today, by beating her "unbeatable" brother. Everyone died down and he attempted to stop, but he just couldn't. It was like an addiction, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Before he knew it, she turned her head. He attempted to turn in time, but he was late.

_S**t._

"Fox, it's fine, I don't know why you're so bashful," Krystal commented. Coyote took his chance to get back at her.

"He wants to keep his virginity," Coyote commented. Everyone whipped their heads around to him. They all looked at him funny like he was crazy. Coyote had realized how far he actually went to say _that _one.

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate," Coyote quickly bit back his comment. "She does have a point though Fox."

Everyone then turned to Fox. He sighed.

"I don't know why either, it's weird. And no Coyote, I don't want to keep my virginity!" Fox retorted.

"Alright, alright! I've had enough of this!" Falco finally stepped in. Almost perfect timing as well. Coyote's comm. device rang and he answered. He listened for a while until he finally stopped.

"Duty calls. Something _big _is coming our way," Coyote said.


	9. A Hostile Reunion

**Chapter 7**

The _Prometheus_, the largest Cerinian ship to date, had just left its construction site in Sauria's orbit. General Hooke stood at the bridge. She had been given control of the ship. Grandmaster Randorn was too old to lead the attack. Hooke was his most trusted General.

The ship was huge, with 20 heavy cannons, over 100 mini turrets, 10 docking bays, and thousands of troops living on it, it was the ultimate warship. The armada behind it with the 270 ships mentioned was plenty to take on any force. _Prometheus_'s massive engines roared to keep it going forward. Their mission: launch a full-scale invasion on Sector Y, Corneria's main defense post. With that gone, they would have a straight shot for Corneria.

Before long, the armada was ready to make the jump to Sector Y. The officers gave Hooke thumbs up. She nodded and opened the comm. channel.

"Alright, this is it. Launch in 5…4…3…2…1…NOW!" Hooke ordered. The jumpdrive engaged, but seemed to misfire and die out. General Hooke was furious.

"What's wrong?!" Hooke yelled.

"Someone has disengaged the jumpdrive!" one of the officers informed her.

"Not someone, WHO?!"

* * *

Justin was running through halls of circuit boards and wired walls. He was the one who just sabotaged the jumpdrive. It was only a matter of time before they found him. He drew his blaster and hid behind the edge of a wall. He listened for troops. Before he knew it, he heard stomping, 20 troops. This was too much for him, but he had no other options, he was cornered. He decide to unhook one of his grenades and toss one into the isle. The troops spotted it too late. It exploded, killing 7 of the troops. While the others recovered, he popped out and fired. He counted 5 troops that he dropped, but the others were ready. They fired blue beams at him and his world went black.

He awoke in the bridge of the ship. He was restrained by 2 troops. He couldn't move. He looked up to see an orange vixen staring at him. His fist clenched as he immediately realized her Cerinian features. Pure hatred pulsed trough his body.

"What's your name, for starters?" she asked him.

"Go f**k yourself," he retorted. She stomped up to him and laid a right hook to his head. She was definitely stronger than she looked.

"Let's try this again, what is your name?" she asked him. Justin panted from the hit.

"Go…f**k…yourself!" Justin yelled. The Cerinian did it again to him, but twice.

_Come on Coyote, come and save my ass._

With almost perfect timing, the entire Cornerian fleet erupted from their hyperjump. Justin smiled and drew two hidden stun guns from his sleeves and stunned the guards, knocking them out. The officers didn't dare attempt to attack Justin, they wouldn't stand a chance. Justin was ready to kill this Cerinian, but he knew that this was no easy task. She looked trained and ready to kill him with cold rage. He then looked behind her to see out the front screen to see 20 _FA-30 Commander _s shoot by. One split off from the group and made a b line for the bridge. The pilot ejected. He heard his body impact the ship. Then, an airlock opened from the outside then close. The inside one opened to reveal Coyote, in full suit. He deactivated the suit, revealing his always confident stance and look. Coyote had his teeth clenched, expecting someone to attempt to kill him. No one came. They were all busy fighting off the Cornerians.

Justin turned to the Cerinian and prepared to fight with Coyote at his side. Coyote walked up to his side, Justin drew his katana.

"No Justin, we can't do that," Coyote stopped him as he deactivated his blue sword.

"Are you kidding? She is the enemy!" Justin yelled.

"Leave us! Go join your team! Before I make you!" Coyote commanded. Justin was shocked. Coyote looked to him. His eyes stood, unblinking. Justin angrily obeyed and fled the room with all of the officers. Coyote then turned to the Cerinian and hoped to reason with her.

"Hey…I'm…" Coyote was interrupted by a right hook to his jaw. She attempted to hit his left, but he caught her fist and regained composure. He clenched his teeth and sent a punch back to her. He squared her in the cheek, sending her off balance. He didn't normally punch women, but this was completely necessary. She wasn't fazed however; she tackled him and sent a barrage of punches towards his head. He was pinned. He attempted to stop her, but he was slowly losing. Then, he got a good look at her. Her ferocity, her shape, her face, and her features. There was no doubt, it was her.

"Reina! Stop! It's me!" Coyote pleaded. Reina stopped and realized as well. She froze and remembered. Back on Cerinia, Coyote was her first love. They were going to start a life together until Coyote presumably "died" during a meteor storm. Coyote was tricked into thinking the planet was dying, so he fled.

She looked at her former love and sobbed. She put her head on his chest and grabbed his hand.

"I thought you died! I was so broken!" she screamed. Coyote did nothing but let her lay there. He felt terrible for leaving her, but he had no idea. He thought that _she _was dead. After many months, he finally accepted that and let her go. Now she was here, but she was still the enemy.

"Yeah, I'm here. But the question is: whose side are you on?" Coyote asked, freeing himself. Reina kept her head down. She was torn. Stay on her people's side or her long lost love's side?

"Coyote, I can't fight against my people," Reina said.

"So be it," Coyote replied. He rose and drew his blaster and cocked it. She was stunned by his sudden hostility.

"Do you really stand by my father? He is mad! No one randomly declares a conquest war on a random planet! If you join me, we are fighting my father, not Cerinia. I have no quarrel with my people. So, what shall it be?" He asked sternly. She looked up at him, he wasn't letting up.


	10. Another Lost Soul

**Chapter 8**

Krystal overlooked the battle. The opposing armada was massive, way too large for them to take on with just this fleet. She tilted her ship to dodge an incoming laser.

"Krystal! We need help with the fighters!" Fox ordered. Krystal regained her focus and dove into the battle.

"Oh, yes, sorry about that," Krystal apologized. She made a sharp banked right turn to tail a few fighters. She came into range and downed all three of them. With deft skill, she u turned back to face the main frigate. On its hull it read: _Prometheus_. Then suddenly, she felt a sense of danger, a feeling of near death in the ship. Not from her, but from someone else, someone familiar. After a minute of deciphering, she realized this feeling was coming from her brother. She immediately gunned her incredibly fast ship for a landing bay, dodging lasers and ships coming by.

"Krystal! What are you doing?" Fox asked over the comm.

"Coyote's in trouble! I'm going to help him!" she replied.

"Ok…be careful…I don't want to lose two teammates…especially you," Fox told her worried. Krystal nodded and landed her ship. When her canopy blew open, she immediately blasted the troopers coming for her. She slid out of her surreal ship and ran for the nearest door. She stopped by one of the bodies to see who the enemy was. She was shocked to see.

"_Cerinians_!? No! I just killed my own people!" Krystal yelled to herself. She immediately thought of what Coyote said. He told her that her father was a madman who tricked their own planet's death. She was starting to believe him now. She rose to her feet and ran back for the door. It was surprisingly unlocked, so she walked straight in. She maneuvered her way to an elevator, where she took it to where she sensed Coyote's presence. In the elevator, she drew her blaster. When the door opened she saw it. Her brother was beaten horribly, three Cerinian guards standing over his body. She had to hold in a scream from coming out of her when she saw him. An orange vixen stood with the guards. She was speaking to Coyote.

"You chose to fight your people! You will now pay!" She screamed. The three guards moved in on him again.

"Stop!" Krystal yelled. The four vulpine figures turned to her. They drew their blasters and weapons. Then, the vixen stopped.

"Krystal, is that you? It's me Reina!" She told her. Krystal bared her teeth at her, daring her to make her feel compassion for the Cerinian race.

"Attack my brother," She said, drawing her staff and extending it. "And you attack me!"

Coyote looked up to her and coughed a few times. He shook his head to her, begging her not to do it. She ignored him and walked towards the four Cerinians, ready to fight. The vixen sent the three guards to Krystal. Krystal had no fear; she was here to make them pay. One of the guards lunged at her with their own staff, but she countered it with hers. She grabbed it and yanked it towards her, taking the guard with it. She swung her staff at his head. It cracked his head, knocking him out instantly. The second and third lunged at her. She grabbed the unconscious guard's staff and used it to block the third guard's attack, while blocking the second's with hers. She kicked the third's staff out his grip and batted him with the staff, knocking him out as well. Krystal then turned to the last one and used the guard's staff to knock his head, rendering him inert. She had done that in about 15 seconds. Coyote was shocked, he had never seen her so good before. The vixen was almost too terrified to fight Krystal at this point; she had taken three out easily. Coyote had recovered enough to finally stand, however shakily. He came across a blaster and picked it up. He walked up to Krystal's side and pointed it at Reina.

"Nice…work," Coyote complimented Krystal weakly. Krystal nodded to him and looked back at the vixen.

"Give up, and we'll let you live," Coyote said sternly.

"Never! I will never betray…" She was interrupted by a shot to her skull from Coyote. He had given her enough chances, and he had had enough. At this time, his legs gave out and he was caught by Krystal, who gently laid him on the floor.

"Thanks for saving me. You did well, but I'm going to need some medical attention soon," Coyote told her. Krystal smiled to him. Suddenly, Fox came flying out of the elevator.

"Krystal! I…oh holy s**t," Fox said as he saw Coyote lying on the floor. Fox ran over and helped bring him to his feet.

"We need to get out! This battle is lost; we simply don't have the firepower!" Fox yelled as he brought Coyote to the elevator. Krystal quickly followed. They made their way to their ships. Krystal's ship had come with a tandem arrangement, so they put him in hers. Krystal and Fox manned their ships and took off towards the _Great Fox III_.

They landed and Fox ordered Falco to activate the hyperjump. The massive ship turned and fled the battle. In the safety of the speed of light, Coyote was rushed to the medical bay.

* * *

"Sir we have been informed that we have won the battle of Sauria," Gandalfr informed Randorn. They were back on Cerinia, in Randorn's main office. Randorn showed a sinister smile from his dark hood.

"Good, order the fleets to attack Sector Y at once," Randorn ordered. Gandalfr bowed and headed out of Randorn's office. Randorn looked back down at his desk and felt a sense of loss and death. He soon realized that General Hooke was lost during the attack. He knew her killer and the reason. He felt sorry for her, but it would absolutely break Coyote. His first love was dead, and he was her killer. A cunning plan then hit him. Ashley, a member of the mutant Cerinans, was his current love. Find her, and kill her. He would have a valid reason: to rid the world of mutant Cerinians. Ashley and Coyote were the last of them.

_With her death, Coyote will have no will to fight left in him. _He thought to himself. But then he realized the alternative.

_Or unleash his wrath upon me, my people, and my planet. He has the intellect to destroy this planet, and he would never hesitate to kill me. Krystal is his only savior right now. With her, he is controlled. Without her, he will become something everyone fears: A Groedon. _

Groedons were the result of lost souls. Cerinians who lose too much can go insane. They murder for fun. The worst part is: unstoppable.


	11. A Capture, Date, and a Prophecy

**Chapter 9**

Ashley sat at an empty bar. She was surrounded by no one. Her chair creaked under her weight. She held a drink in her hands. She had just finished a job from a contractor to get a few credits. Ever since she left, she has been moving from job to job trying to find a living. Every time she saw an ad on Starfox, she looked away, fearing the day she'll see Coyote finally kicked the bucket. She felt sick every time she heard his name. She still loved him, but she couldn't see him die. It would be far too much, despite Coyote losing _far_ more than she ever will. The bartender came out from behind the doors in the back.

"We close in 5 minutes miss," he told her. Ashley just nodded and put some credits on the bar table and left the place. She came out to the cold Cornerian night. The lights of the city shined bright in her eyes, forcing her to shield them. She walked down the sidewalk until she was stopped by two vulpines. They were tall and had her features, they looked like Cerinians, but she, Coyote, and Krystal were the last ones left, right?

"Come with us, now," one of them ordered her.

"What?" she said but was cut off by a knockout punch to the head.

"You killed an executive member of the enemy! We could have used her!" Field Marshall Thompson had Coyote in his office. He was extremely angry with the killing of General Hooke.

"Use her to get answers? How? Torture? No, that's not right; I don't care about what you think. I wasn't going to make her go through that," Coyote replied in a way no soldier would dare to a Field Marshall. Thompson just shook his head and glared at him.

"This is your last chance Grand General. One more time, and you're done," Thompson finished and beckoned Coyote to leave him. Coyote growled and left the room. He was still recovering from his battle, so he was walking slower than normal. He entered the elevator and went down to the lobby.

He thought to himself:

_Reina was an ignorant fool. She stood by my father with a passion. I killed her because of that. It hurt to do it, but I had no choice. It's terrible; I can't believe I had to do that. This can't happen to Krystal. If she turns, she's doomed to death. Fox can't live after that. I must be sure that she stays on the right side. Once she turns, my father will attempt to use her to control me and Fox. I will be forced to kill her too. I can't do that. I just can't…she's all I have left at this point._

A tear welled up in his eyes at the thought of it. He was determined to end this war with one casualty: his father.

Fox was having the best time of his life. He had finally summed up the courage to ask Krystal on a date. He had taken her to a very fancy restaurant dubbed _Majesty_. They had been sat down in the middle of the place. He had worn a basic tuxedo for the occasion. Krystal had worn something completely over the top. A white dress that looked like something out of a marriage. It was quite skinny, which helped with the small space they had. Fox looked a bit tense about the situation. He had never done something like this before. He didn't know what to say, do, or eat. Krystal finally looked him in the eye.

"Well, what are you going to order?" Krystal asked him. Ever since she asked that question, the whole date finally kicked off. He enjoyed himself that night, and the best part was…the end.

They were walking out of the restaurant, hand in hand. They called a taxi and drove to their designated hotel. Fox led her in the door with the key and shut the door. They removed their fancy garments and threw on some night wear. Fox was about to get into bed when Krystal grabbed his hand and jerked him towards her. She pressed her lips to his. He was shocked at first, but after a second of realizing what was going on, he tightly wrapped his arms around her and joined her. They ended up falling into the bed. They kept kissing furiously until they ended up rolling on the floor.

Back in Coyote's room, which was next to Fox and Krystal's, he heard the slam on his wall, making him jump. He heard them enjoying themselves and smiled.

_Finally those two show their true feelings for each other. But, what about me? Will I find someone? Reina's dead and Ashley left. Who will I find?_

The thought of it made him worry about his future. Will he have children to carry on his legacy? Will he be forced to wander the world…alone? No. He needed to find someone…and fast.

He had his reading glasses on. He actually did have poor eyesight when it came to staring at things, like reading. He sat in a rocking chair that came with the hotel and watched the latest sporting event. Basketball always fascinated him; he was pretty good at as well, at least that's how he felt. His favorite team, the Coyotes (How fitting), were one of the best teams in the league. The season had just started, so it was anyone's game at this point.

Coyote jumped from another bump on his wall from the couple. He could tell it was getting pretty serious in there, so he decided it was time to sleep it out. He removed his glasses and flopped into the bed and shut off the light. He put himself into the sheets and drifted off.

He dreamed that he was in a grassy field and was sitting on a stump. He looked around to see a strange vulpine walking towards him. He stood to meet the ghost.

"Who are you?" he asked.

_"My name shall not be spoken, but you may call me: The Messiah. I have come into your dream to tell you that you must stop Randorn at all costs."_ The apparition said.

"Tell me something I don't know," Coyote retorted.

_"I mean this sincerely. If you don't, everyone you love, everything you fight for, everywhere you've ever lived…shall perish. Randorn has become possessed, he is not himself, and he never has been. You may say that the aparoids have claimed him,"_ The Messiah replied.

"So, you're saying that his neglect has not been him? You're telling me this now?! Why not before?!" Coyote replied.

_"Some things are better left unsaid. Remember this: When the time comes, they will rise. They will destroy everything like before. But this time, with help. A force unmatched has fallen under their control. Pity is gone, destruction will come."_

Coyote awoke from his dream.

"We are so f**ked."


	12. Attack on Sector Y

**Chapter 10**

Ashley hated being contained. She was in a detention chamber on Cerinia; a planet she thought was dead. Her home was here, but she was betrayed, by her own people. The chamber was surrounded three five steel walls and a window on the sixth, the one facing out. She was not restrained, but it sure seemed the same. She had no idea how long she had been there, but she calculated that it had been about a day and a half. She was pacing back and forth her chamber, thinking. That was all she could do besides sleep, but she had no time for that. She had to get out, but that was no easy task. This was built to hold someone or something much stronger than her.

Suddenly a door near her cell slid open. A hooded figure and two guards appeared. The guards held some high tech weapons she had never seen before. The hooded figure stood in front of the window and lowered his hood. Ashley immediately recognized him. She clenched her fists and teeth at him. It was Randorn, the man who killed her mother, because she was different. He crossed his armored arms and gave her a stern look.

"So, where to begin? Well, let's start with how did you survive the Purge of Mutants?" Randorn asked. The Purge of Mutants was the first thing Randorn put into effect when he came into power. He captured and killed all mutant Cerinians. Ashley just laughed.

"By killing all who dared to attempt to stop me! I fled the planet soon after the purge began!" Ashley said, still laughing mockingly. Randorn growled in disgust for her.

"Alright then, here's the plan for you. You are going to stay here for three days. On the third, we will execute you. You are here as bait for Coyote," Randorn told her. Ashley laughed even harder.

"You seriously think Coyote will fall for the bait? He will come with an army! Then, he will come for you, and slaughter you swiftly and cleanly. You underestimate him far too much," Ashley finished and stopped laughing.

"That's the plan," Randorn replied. He put his hood back on and left the room. Ashley was now back into the silence and loneliness. She sat against the wall.

_I know you probably hate me Coyote, but come for me. I doubted you. I took loss too seriously. It's ok to lose someone. So I beg you, come and save me. Time is short._

* * *

"All troops, report to battle cruisers, report to battle cruisers." This blared throughout the Cornerian military base. Everyone was sliding past each other and pushing to get to their designated space frigates. Coyote was walking on a catwalk above everyone. He was heading to the designated hangar for the IAD Troopers. After much walking, he had made it. He saw a massive black ship, lined with blue lights. It was the main command ship for the army. It stretched for at least 2,000 feet, the size of the hangar. He hopped down to the catwalk to board the ship. He entered the massive door and saw the main hangar. It was filled with at least 70 _FA-30 Commander_'s, except these were less advanced compared to Coyote's. They were black and blue like everything else. Workers saluted him on his way up to the bridge. Before long, he had made it. It was full of soldiers covered in IAD armor who were working the area. Some were standing on guard.

"Grand General on the bridge!" one of them said. He nodded and pressed the button on his pack, revealing his LCEF armor. It folded over him quickly. He had black and red armor to keep him apart from the rest of them. He walked up to the main control pad and stood in front.

"Alright, let's take off," Coyote said in the robotic tone his suit projects. The two Generals on his ship activated the ship's massive thrusters. At the same time, the massive hangar containing the ship's roof opened up. The ship rose from the hangar and shot off into space. The massive engines roared as it gained altitude. When the ship broke out of the atmosphere, it angled towards Sector Y.

"Alright, punch it!" Coyote ordered. As soon as he said it, the engines glowed a bright blue and shot the massive ship off faster than the speed of light. Coyote turned and sat in the Grand General's chair. He quickly realized that he had no idea what the ship was called.

"Hey, you, what is this ship even called?" he asked the nearest officer.

"_Hades_, sir" they replied to him. He turned back in his chair, satisfied with the name. He then tapped into is comm. channel and broadcasted it throughout the ship.

"Alright everyone, this is it. If we don't stop them here, Corneria will be exposed, and we will have no way of stopping them. So, I want all pilots ready right now. They will launch help the Cornerian fleet hold back the enemy. We will send some troops to board the ships and take them out from the inside. If all else fails, we will send everything, good luck," he finished. As soon as he did, they erupted from their hyperjump.

The "Y cluster" shined bright as they came out of the jump. Coyote looked to see the _Prometheus _leading the Cerinian Armada. It was blasting through Cornerian frigates like it was a fun game.

"Launch all ships towards the biggest ship!" Coyote ordered. He felt the ship vibrate as all 70 fighters erupted from _Hades_ and gunned for _Prometheus_. They were quickly met by some frigates. Thanks to the troopers' upgraded abilities, they were able to dodge and destroy with ease. Coyote soon realized that the ship needed to be taken down.

"Fire all main guns at the massive ship there!" Coyote ordered. The main guns suddenly turned and fired massive blue beams at _Prometheus_. They simply were deflected by a shield on the ship. Soon, the _Prometheus_ fired back at them, but to their luck, their own shields took the brunt of the hit. Coyote had had enough of this stalemate, he was going out there.

"You! You're a General right? Well, you're in charge now!" he shouted, pointing at one of the two Generals. The General nodded and saluted to him. Coyote got up and ran down to the hangar.

_I hate giving orders._

(Nearing the halfway point. If you notice chapters coming out slower, it is because I am taking a little bit more breaks here and there. On the weekends, there probably won't be one. That sounds ironic, but it's just the weekends are usually full for me. Well, I have a half day at school tomorrow, so there may be a chapter, so I recommend checking.)


	13. The Last Defense

**Chapter 11**

Fox looked out the front window of the _Great Fox III_'s bridge as it came out of its hyperjump. He was shocked at how they were last to arrive to the scene. Sector Y glowed in the distance while plasma beams flew past their ship. Fox nodded to Falco, Slippy, Krystal, and Justin as they watched with him. They knew what he meant. They all rushed down the long hall to the launching bay. When they finally reached it, they all hopped into their personal ships with ease. Fox ordered ROB to initiate the launch sequence. All of their ships flew out of the bay. Their ships spun and unclipped their wings.

"Alright team, this is it. If we don't stop them here, Corneria is open for their taking. Give it your all!" Fox told his team. "Slippy, I want you to utilize your plasma armor and draw their fire. Falco, I want you to take out most of the smaller fighters with your maneuverability. Justin, you need to deal with the battleships. Last of all, Krystal, you need to use your speed to reach the main battleship there!" Fox ordered. All of the pilots headed for their assigned positions. Krystal's "Cloud Runner II", renamed by her, blazed through the fighters. They were unable to stop her, due to her impossible speed.

Falco's _FA26 Breaker_ sharply turned to the right to meet a wave of fighters coming from a battleship. He met them head on, taking down at least 10 fighters. Using the barrel roll, he deflected all of the beams.

Slippy's "Juggernaut", shortened for his convenience, made its way for the wave of fighters Falco had taken on. He was instantly hit with beams, but his damage meter barely went down a sliver. He instantly returned fire, blasting 5 fighters.

Justin's _Arwing IV_ was given to him after he was rescued, so he used that. He banked to the left to the nearest battleship. He noticed a power core in the center of the ship. He instantly rained fire in it, causing it to explode. The ship went with it. In style, he flew through the explosion.

Fox decided to gun for the main battleship with Krystal, despite him being far behind. He pushed his boost to the max and realized that there was no drag in space, so he jetted off much quicker than he thought. Before long, he had reached Krystal, who was already at the battleship. He saw the main ship's hull, and saw that it read: _Prometheus_. He then looked to see Krystal firing at it. He watched as her beams were rendered harmless by the ship's shields.

"Ahh! Fox, we need to find a way to bring down those shields!" Krystal told him. Fox was clueless. The only way was to board the ship and take out the shields, but Fox was no infiltrator. When he was going to give up, he saw as 30 IAD ships flew by him.

"Cavalry has arrived!" a familiar voice spoke into Fox's comm. line. It was Coyote.

"You couldn't have come at a better time! Can you do anything about those shields?" Fox asked him.

"Squads of IAD Troopers are heading into the ship to do just that, consider yourself lucky!" Coyote told him. Fox's smile returned to his face as he watched 30 _FA30 Commander_s board the massive ship. He then saw Coyote's fly up next to Fox's.

"I'm back under your command Fox, what do you want to do?" Coyote asked him. Fox was shocked by this. Coyote was a Grand General! Why would he want to take orders from _him_? Nonetheless, Fox had a plan. He looked to see the many frigates guarding the _Prometheus_. It hit him; they could blast those so the heavy frigates could make it to the _Prometheus_.

"Alright then, we need to take out the frigates!" Fox told them.

"Not a problem!" Coyote told him. Fox saw as Coyote switched to combat mode. His ship's guns started glowing yellow. Fox assumed that they were more powerful than red beams, which were the strongest Fox could get on his ship. He watched as Coyote blasted for a frigate and destroyed it with minimal effort.

"Alright Fox, my weapons aren't quite as powerful as yours, so I'm going to need you to assist me at destroying those frigates," Krystal told him. Fox nodded and blasted off for her.

He saw her firing at one of the frigate's exposed power core. It wasn't exploding like it should have, so he fired his own hyper lasers to help. With that, the frigate exploded from the amount of beams hitting it.

They had it easy, until that all changed. The _Prometheus_ realized that the Starfox team was their biggest threat. It began to rain nearly its entire arsenal upon Fox and Krystal. They had to push their skills to the limit to dodge the countless amounts of beams. Before they knew it, Krystal was hit. Her ship was not built for taking hits, so her damage meter plummeted to near half way.

"Krystal! Are you ok?" Fox pleaded.

"I'm fine, but I can't take much more!" she said.

"Use your speed to flee!" Fox told her. She obeyed and blasted through the raining beams with Fox. They were forced to flee. However, the ship followed them and kept firing at them. When it seemed like there was no escape, the _Prometheus_ powered down suddenly. Then, massive blue beams rocketed through the battle, hitting it dead on. The beams tore through the ship, blowing quite large holes in the front of the ship. It continued to be hit until its shields returned. Fox watched as the entire enemy fleet retreated and activated their hyperjump drives. They blasted off to flee. Corneria was saved, for now.

Fox immediately blasted next to Krystal to see if she was ok. He saw that her ship had taken heavy damage to her main hull.

"I think Slippy can repair that Krystal," Fox told her. She was breathing hard in her ship.

"Are you ok? Tell me if you aren't!" Fox ordered her. She slowly raised her head into view from her canopy.

"I'm…fine Fox. Just startled from the hit, that's all," Krystal told him.

"Alright. Team, return to the _Great Fox III_!"


	14. The Final Break

**Chapter 12**

"Sir, I'm done. That's it, it's over. I just can't lead. Besides, I'm only 26! Don't you think that that's kind of young for a _Grand _General?" Coyote had had it; he hated having the responsibility of an entire army. Also, he was only 26 as well. Most Grand Generals are in their 40's unlike him. (CURRENT AGES: Fox,30 Falco,29 Slippy,27 Krystal,23 Justin,26 Coyote,26)

The Field Marshall stood and looked out his window. He expected this to happen. Coyote was a mercenary, but no leader.

"I know how you feel, so I will accept your resignation," Thompson simply replied. Coyote was moderately shocked by the Marshall's quick acceptance.

"Well, if that's the case, then I guess I'll be out," Coyote said as he began to leave. Thompson spoke up before he did.

"You have just given up a great honor."

"I know…but it wasn't going to work." Coyote stepped into the elevator and rode it down.

* * *

"ARE YOU KIDDING? I TOLD YOU THAT WE NEEDED TO WIN!" Randorn shouted throughout his room. Gandalfr and two Generals stood in front of him, disgraced.

"Sir, their troops…" One of the generals began to speak.

"NO! I don't want to hear it. The _Prometheus_ was plenty! But no, you come back with it nearly destroyed!" Randorn turned to face his window. "Coyote and Krystal both know who is responsible…don't they." Gandalfr shook in fear as his leader turned with a face of pure rage.

"ONE OF THEM WILL TELL CORNERIA! They both know EXACTLY where we are. If one of them speaks, Corneria will launch a full-scale assault on Cerinia! Randorn finally finished. Gandalfr was speechless. He had one objective: win….and he failed. Randorn gestured them to leave him. The three turned and left his room. As soon as they left, Randorn sat in his chair. He calmed himself and reached his senses out to Krystal, who was the only one he could sense from different planets. He saw how she was in a relationship with some fox, defiantly Cornerian. He saw how she had been one of the reasons why they had failed the mission. He quickly shut out his senses and slammed his fist on his desk.

_So, you've betrayed me too? So be it._

Randorn was now confident to kill both of his children, instead of just Coyote. It was only a matter of time before the Cornerians came anyway. He had time to plan. He was no longer on the attack, but on the defense.

* * *

Like Randorn predicted, Krystal had actually informed Peppy about the Cerinians being the enemy. Peppy then informed the Cornerian military. The assault would begin in a matter of hours. The Starfox team was preparing on the _Great Fox III_. Fox was in his room putting on his Assault outfit and sliding all of the parts into place. He then heard a bell ring inside his room, signaling that someone was at his door.

"Come in," he said. Krystal walked into his room.

"Oh, hi Krystal. Is there something wrong?" he asked. Krystal walked over to his bed and sat on its side. She had her head down and looked worried. Fox stopped what he was doing and sat next to her.

"It's just that we're about to assault the home I thought was gone, that's all," she told him. Fox moved himself closer to her and put his arm around her.

"You know, sometimes things don't always go the way we want them to. Sometimes the things we want to protect just aren't the right things to protect. It's just the way some things turn out," He attempted to help her, but it didn't seem to help. He sighed in disappointment. Krystal turned to Fox and hugged him. She clung on to him like she was going to die. He put his arms around her to help. She seemed to calm down with his grip on her. When they let go, Krystal looked him in the eye and said.

"Alright, if this is meant to be, then I'm in," she told him. She rose from his bed.

"That's more like it," he told her. She turned to him and smiled as she left his room. Fox finally got back to preparing himself for the imminent assault.

* * *

Coyote had boarded the _Great Fox III_ again an hour ago. He had barely learned of the coming assault and readied himself. He was the only one on the ship who was happy about the situation. He would finally be able to attack his father successfully this time. But then he remembered what "The Messiah" had said. Was his father truly being controlled? Or was it all a scandal, and there was only one way to find out.

Coyote entered his room to see a transmission on his touchscreen console. He had no idea who it was, so he shut his door and sat down. He tapped on the console to activate the transmission. He didn't like what came up on the screen. He saw his father, standing behind Ashley with a gun pointed to her head. He was at first shocked, but that was quickly replaced by rage.

"See this? This is your love correct? I thought so. She will die right in front of your eyes unless you call off the assault," Randorn told him with a sinister smile. Coyote knew that he couldn't call off an invasion to save one life.

"You know that I can't do that," Coyote told him. Randorn looked at him like he was crazy. Then he lowered the gun to her head.

"So be it," he said. Randorn was going to pull the trigger until Ashley forced the chair back into his legs, causing him to trip over. She quickly freed herself and pinned him down, sending a barrage of punches at him. They struck home, knocking him out cold. Ashley ran to the screen showing Coyote's face.

"Send the invasion! It's the only way to end his tyranny!" Ashley yelled to him before running off. Coyote shut down the transmission and ran out of his room.

(It's almost over, just a few more chapters. The next chapter will feature someone, who you will find out when it comes out. Hope you're enjoying!)


	15. Modern Warfare

**Chapter 13**

For probably the last time, the Starfox team stood at the bridge in their normal formation. They all had the widest range of emotions. Fox was determined to put an end to this strange enemy. Falco seemed to not care; he just wanted to get the job done. Slippy was deep in thought like always. Justin and Coyote had vengeance in their eyes, ready to slaughter everyone in their paths. Last of all, Krystal looked torn. She still wasn't sure about this mission; it seemed wrong to attack her own race.

"Alright team, before we start this, I just want to make a few things clear. This….is probably my last mission with you," Falco and Coyote looked at Fox like he was crazy. "I've had enough. Besides, I'm not the kid I used to be."

Everyone knew what he meant. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Krystal. Falco still looked bewildered.

"Fox, you're kidding right? Corneria is still going to need us! What am I going to do without a team?" Falco asked him sternly. Fox looked over to him.

"I know how you feel Falco, but I told you I've had enough. I'm tired of all the fighting. I'm sorry," he told him. Falco shook his head in disappointment. Coyote looked like he was in shock. He had never considered the future; how it would turn out for him in the end. He always was in the present, never in the past or future. He did grieve, but to a small extent.

"What's wrong with you?" Falco asked him.

"Nothing important," Coyote whispered to him. Falco quietly nodded. Fox finally made contact with General Peppy. The big flat screen showed his face in front of them.

"Hello team I hope you're doing well. Anyway, we will commence the assault in 45 minutes. We're going to need you to get there first and infiltrate the planet to see what we are up against. Your orders are to go there without being seen, good luck team," Peppy finished as he shut off the communication. Fox slowly walked up to the front of them and gave his last speech.

"I have one thing to say to all of you, it has been an honor. If any of us are to die on this mission…just in case…I'd like to say thank you," Fox said as he walked back to his spot in the line. The rest of the team nodded, satisfied with his speech.

"Alright ROB, take us to Cerinia."

"Affirmative," replied the robot. The _Great Fox III_ began to slowly gain speed before it blasted off faster than the speed of light.

* * *

When they arrived, they were shocked to see a blockade surrounding the planet. The fact that they even knew that the invasion was coming shocked them. No matter, they pressed on.

"This blockade causes problems, we're going to need to enter the planet with our arwings and go on foot from there," Fox ordered. Falco already looked upset about the mission. He was no foot soldier, but he could get the job done. Without hesitation, the six pilots ran down the hall to their ships. They all hopped in like always, ready to launch in a mere minute. ROB sent them off into the emptiness of space. They all silently broke through the blockade undetected and broke for the surface. Fox observed the ground below. It was dark. The capital city was heavily guarded, too heavy for them to land, but it was surrounded by a thick forest. They could use that as cover to make their way to the city.

"Alright land right there," Fox placed a marker on his radar that showed up on everyone's ships as well. All six ships converged on that one spot and landed their ships. They all hopped out and pulled weapons stored in the bottom of their hulls. Everyone saw Coyote pull out large gatling gun. He looked to see everyone staring at him.

"Hey, you never know!" he said as he slung it behind his back. Everyone else grabbed their gear and shut the latches. Fox gestured them to follow as he jumped into an opening in the bushes. Krystal followed him close. The other four followed, Coyote bringing up the rear. Justin drew his katana in case of a close enemy. Coyote held an assault rifle behind him. They all followed Fox until they hit a forest outpost. Fox rushed them over to a conveniently placed bunker behind some sandbags. Fox ordered Falco to throw a grenade at the tower with a spotter. Falco pulled one out of his belt and flung it at the tower. Before the spotter noticed, it exploded, killing him and bringing down the tower.

"Now!" Fox ordered. The whole team broke for the next set of thick forest across an alleyway. They made it before anyone spotted them. They traversed the forest until they reached another outpost. This one was much more guarded however, due to the first outpost being discovered attacked. They hit another cover, but one of the guards spotted them. They shouted and the guards fired upon their cover. Plasma battered the bags, burning them. It was only a matter of time before they burned all the way through.

"So much for stealth!" Falco shouted over the guns firing. Coyote instantly retaliated, firing at the guards with his assault rifle. He dropped three guards before having to get back behind cover. He pulled back on the bolt, causing a white hot plasma clip fall to the floor.

"Falco, Justin! Use the forest to flank them!" Fox ordered. They nodded and dove into the bushes without being seen. Slippy detached a flash grenade and hurled it at the guards. It exploded, blinding and disorienting them. Using those seconds to get a shot, he fired at them with his blaster, dropping three more. Coyote did the same with his assault rifle. Coyote and Slippy ducked behind in time to see the guards firing again. Coyote pulled the bolt back to watch yet another clip fall to the ground. Slippy did the same with his blaster.

"Nice one Slip!" Coyote commented.

"Thanks!" he replied. This made him feel more useful, to his liking. Yet, the fight was not over; there were still a good 15 guards left. They were pinned, and they had discovered Falco and Justin, who were forced to take cover. Fox pulled out a sub machine gun and sent a barrage of beams at the guards. This gave Falco and Justin the chance to move up. They were still not close enough to safely assault them, so they were forced to yet again take cover. Coyote detached another flash grenade and hurled it.

"Falco, Justin! Stay down!" Coyote ordered. The two ducked as the grenade burst in the guards' faces. The two ran up to them. Just when they thought they were done with Falco and Justin finally reaching them, a grenade landed inside their cover.

"GRENADE!" Fox yelled as he tackled Krystal to protect her. Coyote boldly picked it up and hurled it in the air. He flipped around so his back took the force of the blow. It exploded and Coyote landed on his stomach, feeling the wave weakly on his back. When the smoke cleared, Fox looked around.

"Is everyone ok?" he said as he got off of Krystal from the tackle. "Sorry about that," he told her. The firing had ceased, Justin and Falco had killed them all.

"It's fine, you saved my life," Krystal replied. Coyote looked up, shocked.

"Hey! If it wasn't for me, that tackle would've done you no good whatsoever!" Coyote shouted. The two whirled around to see him.

"Oh, well, thanks," Fox told him. Slippy rose from his laying down position and retrieved his blaster from the ground. They then heard Falco and Justin rushing over to their cover.

"Are you all ok?" Falco asked. The four nodded to him. Fox arose from his crouch.

"Alright, no time to wait, the fleet will be here soon," Fox said as he gestured them to follow. The six then once again traversed the forest before finally reaching the city outskirts. It was surrounded by guards; there was no way in without a tank to break through. It then hit Fox, they needed Landmasters. Fox tapped in a few buttons and put his communicator back into his utility belt. Suddenly, a blue light appeared behind them and a Landmaster spawned.

"Alright, Falco and Justin again, we need you two to man the tank. Blast a hole in the city wall there," he whispered. The two popped open the hatch and hopped into the tank. The hatch closed and the tank flared into life. It rolled out into the open. It was spotted, but it had already fired at the wall. A blue ball beam hit the wall, blasting a massive hole into it. The tank began to give suppressing fire on the guards, while the rest of the team ran through the hole. The four were instantly met by a squad of guards, so they took the nearest cover. Down the alley, they saw the massive main building, which was extremely tall.

"That's it! We need to get there!" Krystal shouted. Fox nodded and waved the tank to fire on the guards. The cannon turned and fired, killing all of the guards in the way. Then, the four ran down the alley, making a mad dash for the building. They were halfway there when a tank rolled up in front of them. They sidestepped and got behind a building just in time. Their own tank fired upon it, destroying it just in time. But more came, too many.

To their luck, the Cornerian Fleet appeared in the night sky. Fox instantly got a transmission. It was General Peppy.

"Fox! We told you to go on recon! Not start a war!" he yelled.

"Sorry sir, things didn't go the right way," Fox said as the frigate above blasted the tanks in front of them. The team moved up and made it to the building. They smashed through the glass doors while Justin and Falco escaped the tank. Coyote fired upon some guards of an elevator, killing them all. The six filed in and pressed the control room button. They rode it up to the top. It opened to a room at the top of the building. They killed all of the guards and ran up to a sliding door that read: _Grandmaster_.

"Get ready guys," Coyote told his team as he opened the door.

(That was fun to put together! It's almost over, just one or two more chapters! I hope you enjoyed this!)


	16. Confrontation

**Chapter 14**

The door slowly opened. Coyote's assault rifle shook in his grip at the anticipation. Krystal shut her eyes, sensing her father inside. Coyote forced open the door and pointed his gun.

"Hands in the air you son of a b**ch!" Coyote shouted. The figure in the room did nothing, but kept staring out his window. Coyote immediately recognized his father, Randorn, was this figure. He bared his teeth and told his team to stay back.

"I wasn't kidding!" Coyote told him.

"And so you come at last," Randorn spoke finally. Coyote still didn't let up his pointed weapon. He had to do something.

"So what do you have to say for yourself?" Coyote asked him sternly. Randorn finally turned to show his blue fur and cloaked body.

"Nothing, it was time to bring peace to the war stricken Lylat System. Corneria clearly was not its right protector, so I stepped in and attempted to bring order. But no, you had to stop us multiple times. You and your sister have failed me. You are traitors to the Cerinain race!" he shouted.

"And you are a war mongering tyrant! You've ruined your name! I hope you're happy!" Krystal shouted with cold rage. Randorn laughed evilly.

"So, you've given in to this mutant…have you my daughter?" Randorn questioned her, mentioning Coyote.

"Given in? No! I'm just fighting for the just side. My brother has shown me what is right, while you have done the opposite. All those years of you neglecting him have finally come to me. I should've helped him, but I was too young to realize. Now I see that _you_ are the monster!" Krystal yelled to him, ready to stand by Coyote. Coyote still had his rifle pointed at Randorn. He had his finger on the trigger.

"So be it. Why don't your pathetic friends leave so we can fight this out for real!" Randorn shouted. Coyote nodded, with his teeth bared and nodded to the other four. They walked out and shut the door behind them.

Outside the room, Falco was on edge.

"Why don't we just shoot him?! I hate him already!" Falco shouted.

"It's honor," Justin replied. Falco looked over to him, still not satisfied. "This is their fight."

Back in the room, Coyote threw his rifle on the ground and ignited his blue sword from his wrist. But this time, he detached it and it formed a brilliant, gleaming sword.

_Saber lives again._ He thought.

Krystal pulled out her staff and extended it to its full length. She calmed herself for the coming battle. Randorn pulled out his own staff. But this time, he pulled out another. He threw off his cloak to reveal his true body. He was in his tribal clothing, but Coyote saw no Aparoid tech on him.

_Did The Messiah…lie?!_

It was almost certain; this was Randorn's true intention. He wasn't being controlled. This was him. Coyote swung his sword across him to get into his stance. Krystal did the same. Randorn shouted and jumped at them. Coyote and Krystal both parried his blows. Coyote broke free from the stalemate and took a swing at him. Randorn parried the swing with his staff. Krystal took the chance and did the same. He blocked hers as well, but he hit hers with force, knocking her back. Randorn turned and lashed both staffs at Coyote. He met the staffs as they formed an X shape. His sword hit the middle. Krystal regained her composure and leaped at her father. Randorn was forced to block hers as well. Using this chance, Coyote swung at him again. Randorn flipped to dodge, but Krystal hit him midair. He took a blow to his right side. He yelped in pain. He then kicked Coyote back and faced Krystal. He lashed at her. The force of the blow knocked her staff from her hands. Randorn lashed again, but she swiftly dodged. Randorn sensed Coyote approaching and met his sword. Coyote's force had knocked him off balance, and Krystal kicked his leg to make him fall. Coyote swung his sword down for the fatal blow, but he rolled away. Krystal picked up her staff again. Randorn attempted to get up, but Coyote kicked him in the head. He was knocked back completely disoriented. Coyote drove his sword down. It went clean through Randorn. Finally his tyranny was over.

Coyote let go of the sword and stepped back. Randorn gasped and breathed weakly. He then spoke.

"You…think you've won? I told you…judgment is coming…I…was…serious," his final words were. He stopped breathing and fell limp. Randorn was dead.

Coyote and Krystal breathed heavily. Coyote lifted his arm and his wrist device dissolved the sword and pulled the particles into it. Krystal knelt by her father and spoke something in the native Cerinain language. Coyote roughly translated it to: _Goodbye father. Hopefully you will see the light in the afterlife._

Krystal shut his still open eyelids. She held back tears and rose. Coyote felt no sympathy; Randorn deserved it, he was a tyrant. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Fox, Falco, Slippy and Justin appeared with some Cornerian troops. Fox ran to Krystal and put his arms around her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her.

"No Fox, I'm fine," She told him. Coyote strode over to the window overlooking the city. It was a complete warzone. Beams flew around like lights in a show. It was still night, and the frigates covered the stars above. It was a pity; this was his home, free from his father's clutches. But, it was fate, and fate was cruel at times. Then, the fighting ceased. It was crazy; it was like one side had surrendered. Krystal walked up next to him.

"We were fighting our father, you said," Krystal told him. "We did, and we won. The war is over. The Cerinians have no quarrel with Corneria, they have been freed."

Coyote realized that it made sense; the Cerinians were free, at last.

* * *

Deep in the underground tunnels of Cerinia, a beast awoke. It was a serpent like beast…and aparoid. It heard in its mind:

_All for us, all things in the universe will be ours. The time has come. This is evolution._

The beast began to dig upwards to the surface.

(Thought it was over? One or two more chapters left! Hope you enjoyed!)


	17. Judgment

**Chapter 15**

The ground shook, maybe the whole planet. Everyone felt it. The massive capital building held the successful Starfox team, who had thought that they had finished this, but they are about to have their world rocked.

"EARTHQUAKE!" Falco yelled. His scream spread throughout the room. The team was about to lose their balance.

"Call your ships!" Fox ordered. The team did just that. They punched a few buttons on their wrist comm. device. Back where the ships landed, they took off towards their location. Coyote fell on his rear and felt as the capital building began to tip forward. Just in time, the ships appeared. But they still had a pane of glass in their way. Coyote drew his blaster.

"GET READY!" Coyote ordered.

"NO DON'T…." Fox yelled. Too late. Coyote blasted the glass causing him to fall through. The screams of his teammates could be heard as they fell. His ship appeared under him and the canopy opened. He slid in like a glove and shut the canopy of his ship. He watched as the others did the same, falling into their ships. They all shut their canopies and circled the area.

"Coyote! Don't you EVER do that again!" Fox ordered. Coyote chuckled.

"Sorry about that, it was the only way out!" Coyote replied. Fox grumbled. The happiness soon ceased when they saw the ground open up. Everyone looked in shock as a serpentine beast appeared from a gaping hole in the ground. It was as big as or bigger than the biggest frigate in the Cornerian Army. It was purple, yellow, and green.

"It has the same thought patterns as the Aparoids…no that's not possible!" Krystal said. She was right; this thing was in fact an aparoid. Coyote headed straight for it. He blasted it with his lasers, but the serpent took no damage. It just seemed to piss it off instead. Its massive head turned and fired a laser at Coyote's ship from its mouth. Coyote barrel rolled out of the way to avoid being hit.

"Laser fire is useless! We need something bigger!" Coyote yelled. To their luck, the Cornerian Fleet had seen the issue as well and headed to the surface. The newly allied Cerinians began to assist them as well. Massive squads of fighters converged on the beast, firing at it, but again doing no damage.

"Starfox! Do you know how to beat this thing?" General Peppy asked the team through the comm.

"Negative sir! Laser fire is useless!" Fox replied. There was a long silence before a massive beam from a frigate shot across the sky and hit the serpent. Again, nothing happened. The serpent in fact, turned its head to the frigate and fired a laser out of its mouth. This hit the frigate. It exploded, shocking everyone.

"That thing just shot down a frigate in one shot!" Falco screamed. Fox growled to himself in anger. Suddenly, a cannon formed on the serpent's underside. It began to charge.

"Clear out!" Fox ordered. The cannon was almost charged. Then Coyote was realizing what it was. It was a nuclear blast.

"THAT IS A NUCLEAR CANNON! DODGE OR YOU WILL DIE!" Coyote yelled. The blast would devastate the city and kill all of the foot soldiers as well. There was no hope for them, it was over, and the aparoids had won.

But, a strange ship appeared at a seemingly impossible speed, while spinning. Coyote watched as it impacted the serpent, cutting straight through. The serpent roared extremely loudly. It began to glow a bright, white light.

"EVASIVE MANUVERS!" Fox yelled. The team began to flee the planet, and in time. The serpent exploded, taking the cannon with it. Cerinia was saved, but by who? Coyote looked for the ship, and found it again.

"Saved you, by myself!" a familiar voice chimed into his comm. It was Ashley; his love that he thought was dead. He couldn't believe it; he was just saved by her.

"Oh my lord," Coyote laughed. "I love you!" he said slamming his fists on his ship's dashboard happily. Ashley laughed in her comm.

"Oh, it's been far too long!" she said.

Before they knew it, the rest of the team met up on the _Great Fox III_. Ashley had taken the rail that was once hers. She hopped out of her ship and ran to Coyote. They shared the longest hug the team had known as they gathered around the two. They laughed while the two hugged. Then, out of nowhere, Krystal grabbed Fox and brought him to her and they hugged like them. Falco shook his head and laughed. When Fox and Krystal released, Fox did the amazing.

"Will you marry me?" He asked her on one knee. He then realized that he forgot the ring in his room. His face flushed red in embarrassment as he ran back to his room. Krystal still had her hands over her mouth in shock and pure joy. Falco laughed the hardest he had in a while. Coyote had his arm around Ashley. Ashley looked up to him, prompting him to do the same.

"And what? Be like him? I thought you were dead, remember?" Coyote said to her.

"Oh…yeah." Ashley replied.

When he finished, Fox came barreling down the hall. He stood back in front of Krystal.

"Ok…let's try this again!" Fox said again, getting on one knee. "Krystal, will you marry me?" Fox asked.

"Of course Fox!" she said as she took the ring from his hands. He got up and they kissed for about 15 seconds. Everyone around them clapped.

* * *

_And so it ends as it was. The next year was the most hectic for this team. Fox and Krystal married 2 weeks later. Like Fox had said, he disbanded the team, so he could live the rest of his life with Krystal. Coyote had married Ashley a month later. He decided to put protecting the Lylat System behind him, and start a new life. Slippy reunited himself with his former love, Amanda on Aquas, where he lived his life there. Falco had no love, at least none that he would admit. He remained a mercenary, going from job to job to make a living. Justin had opened a training dojo on Corneria, and he has been there since._

_ 9 months later, Marcus was born from Fox and Krystal. A month after, Timothy was born from Coyote and Ashley. Slippy had six children. Marcus and Timothy grew up together and trained at the Academy. When they grew to the age of 16, they reformed a new Starfox team, led by Marcus. Slippy's son, Drew, joined as well, since he was the best of Slippy's sons. Since Falco was still a mercenary, he was recruited and joined as well. A new Starfox team was born to defend Lylat!_

(That's it for this story. When I said "long term", I kind of f**ked up. I meant "long story", just to clear that up for all 5 people who actually care. Joking aside, this was some story to write. This last excerpt was the stage setter for "Starfox The Next Generation: First Contact", which will start up soon. For "World's End", it is kind of on hiatus at this point. That story may never see the light of day. If it's gone, then don't worry about this. See you when the first part for "First Contact" comes out!)


	18. Credits

**CREDITS**

What a story. Now, lets' get things clear. I know what some of you are thinking: 19,000 words aren't all that impressive, and I get it. Yes, the final battle was somewhat short, but I didn't know how to extend that much more. Forgetting all of that, I enjoyed making this story, so I dedicate it to the following people:

Razorblade88- For the Justin Kitsu Character, and being the first to suggest anything.

bryan mccloud- "Mr. lol". The first reviewer of any of my stories. This definitely helped.

dajuanwilliams- The second reviewer of any of my stories. Thanks if you still read my stories.

Phantomfoxx- The third reviewer of any of my stories. Thanks for the permission to use "Rise" (Even though it was cancelled due to lack of interest from me) and overall inspiration.

Troygroomes- For the constant reviews! Sorry I couldn't fit Troy and Madison in this story.

Blink-182- For your songs that I listen to as I write this. (Ha Ha)

Me- For being here to write this. (Ha Ha Ha!)

My dog- I like dogs. (Now this is just getting stupid)

All of you have made this possible for me. Thanks! Also, I messed up the ages of the team horribly, so chapters 3(4) and 12(14) have been fixed.


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